


work gossip

by WendigoBaby



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Gen, charlie thinks izzy's in a gang, just work-friends gossiping, set after 3x06
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-29 18:58:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14479095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WendigoBaby/pseuds/WendigoBaby
Summary: Charlie's curious about all the little quirks and curiosities of Isabelle Lightwood, Cat is there to answer his questions.





	work gossip

It’s a slow evening at the hospital and most of the staff can take a breath, sit down for a cup of strong black coffee before another emergency. The quiet is broken up by the beeping machines, the distant hum of air conditioning, the gurgle of the water machine - all sounds he’s grown accustomed to.

 

Charlie leans back in one of the rolling chairs behind the reception counter, toying with his phone. He checks his Twitter feed, deciding to read another article about the murders later. With everything he’s seen lately, he’s not in the mood to scroll through two pages about another poor soul that got themselves murdered by their loved one. A nurse in blue scrubs walks into the reception, depositing the files of the new patients into the record drawer.

 

Charlie turns to her, pressing the block button on his phone from where it was open on the text app. She shuffles about for a moment, organizing documents and filling out forms before she senses him staring. Pinning up the dreadlock that escaped the elaborate updo on her head, she turns to him with a questioning look.

 

“Yes, doctor Cooper?” she prompts with a smile, setting her hands on her hips.

 

“Cat, do you know Isabelle Lightwood?” Charlie asks, sliding lower in the chair. The first time he’s met her, it was at this hospital floor, after she assaulted the poor vending machine. But before that, he’s seen her and her two brothers talking to Catarina; it seems that at least they’re familiar with each other.

 

Catarina’s face goes through a series of expressions before she settles on a mysterious smile. “Yeah, I might have met her once or twice. What about her?”

 

“We went on a date, then she invited me for drinks with her mom and siblings. I like her, but there’s something off about her,” Charlie explains and Cat cocks an eyebrow, amusedly intrigued.

 

“What are you talking about?” she crosses her arms over her chest and leans against the edge of the desk behind her, sensing she’s in for a longer story.

 

“She told me she’s a jeweller and that her whole family’s in the business-” Cat snorts, hiding her aborted laughter in a faked cough. She covers her mouth with her fist, but Charlie can see her eyes sparkle with a joke he’s not in on. “What?”

 

“Nothing, Charles. Go on,” she evades, waving her hand at him.

 

He takes a deep breath, filing the confusion away for later questioning. “She seemed reluctant to go out with me-”

 

“That’s not exactly suspicious,” Catarina interrupts him with a smirk.

 

“Hey, you know I’m a ladies’ man!” Charlie exclaims with a smile and the two women passing by the reception exchange a quiet giggle. Okay, that sentence may be a slight hyperbole, but he stands by his point.

 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, doctor.”

 

Ignoring Cat’s snarky comment, Charlie continues his tale. “Anyway, when we were at the restaurant, she evaded a lot of my personal questions and then left abruptly. I found her in an alley with an awful cut on her forehead. She told me she fell, but there’s no way that’s true.”

 

“Uh-uh.”

 

“And then, when we went out again, I noticed that both of her brothers have the same kind of tattoos like she does, strange dark marks. She disappears, shows up with blood on her arm.” Charlie gives a dramatic pause, propping his fingers under his chin. “Do you think they’re a mob family?”

 

“You mean, like Yakuza?” When Charlie nods, Cat shoots him an incredulous glare; she seems to weigh her words for a couple of seconds. “No, nothing like that. Not a mob, cult, gang or whatever your brain can conjure up. They’re a bit strange, sure, but nothing out of the ordinary. Her older brother - the one with dark hair and the tattoo on the side of his neck, is dating one of my life-long friends. I trust them.”

 

Charlie remembers the guy - Alec, who seemed slightly uncomfortable with them talking about the work they do, but maybe that was due to him constantly checking his phone. But it was easily noticeable how close he was with Isabelle, teasing her and exchanging knowing glances over the top of his glass; it was hard not to like him.

 

Cat’s pager beeps three times and she checks it, a frown settling onto her face. “I gotta go, but a parting word of advice - don’t dig too deep. Let her take it at her own pace, the girl’s been through some stuff.”

 

Charlie wonders what she means, but before he can ask, she pats his shoulder and leaves, ready to save another life. He watches her disappear down the corridor over the top of the half-wall and sinks deeper into his chair.

 

She’s right - Isabelle is special, he’s never met anyone like her before and he’s not going to blow it over some baseless suspicions. She’s beautiful, incredibly intelligent and interesting, always with a story up her sleeve; Charlie wants to know more.

 

He taps his phone screen twice, watches it light up with the picture of his dog. He swipes across it, opens the chat window with Isabelle and types out a message - lunch this weekend, maybe a walk. He wants to see her again.

 

She says yes.

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on [tumblr](https://catarinalec.tumblr.com/), come and yell with me!


End file.
